Sleep: The Easiest Way to be Healthy

The benefits of sleep are a dozen fold. Every study that hits the press states the same thing. Getting adequate sleep, which is 7-9 hours for an adult, is paramount to any fitness program, and one could argue a critical component of every person’s life. The benefits can be seen across the board.

Muscle Repair/creation of HGH

Cognitive Rest and Repair

Weight loss: or gain if you are deprived

Increased alertness: Many auto accidents are from people that are sleep deprived

Boost in Memory

Decrease Inflammation

Lower Stress

Lowers Cholesterol/lowers risk of diabetes

The information is everywhere yet people in our society are constantly ignoring it. Just this past January the CDC labeled sleep deprivation as an epidemic. According to the article, as many as 50-70 million Americans have a sleep or wakefulness disorder, and I would bet that the actual number is much higher. People are not taking their sleep seriously, and it is one of the easiest ways to stay fit in body and mind. I know that this has been a major struggle for me. There is just never enough time in the day and sleep usually takes the hit. Here’s a link to the article. http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssleep/

Here are some sleep enhancement tactics to help ensure that you are getting to sleep fast and hopefully staying asleep. Many of these tactics have greatly enhanced my falling asleep and staying asleep. (I am not a doctor; these are for educational purposes only. Please consult a physician for medical advice.)

I would start with some blackout curtains in the bedroom. They cost around 80 dollars depending on brand, and I guarantee they are worth every penny in uninterrupted sleep. Next, I would do a nightly organization and make my bedroom a screen free zone. Why take supplements for something that you may be able to fix by building some better habits. Try a screen free zone and a nightly organization for one month and see if that helps you get to sleep quicker. Then I would throw in meditation time. I will have another post in the future that goes over meditation techniques, but for the time being try a four count breath in and a four-count breath out. Focus on a deep lung filling breaths. If these methods fail you over time, try some sleep aids. There are more than I mentioned above.

Sleeping is literally the easiest way to increase your overall health. If you are struggling with it, make some definite moves toward improving it everyday. It is probably the one of the most overlooked and forsaken of health principles. Sleep is the easiest way to make gains, live better and helps your cognitive function stay top notch. Get there. Get it done. Feel great. Being healthy is as easy as going to sleep.

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